“I don’t lift weights because I don’t want to get big”
How many times do you hear that?
Do you know how hard it is to actually get big and get “that look”?
It takes years of focussed exercise and diet.
What most people want is to feel comfortable in their swim wear at the pool or beach and to do that you need to do two things:
- Reduce body fat
- Don’t think that happens doing burpees or running
- The only way it happens is when calories in are less than calories out
- Have muscle
- To get lean defined muscle, you need to lift weights
- This can be body weight such as Calisthenics or external weights like weight machines and free weights like barbells and dumbbells
“So what, I still don’t want to get big”
This is where the science comes in;
| Rep Range | Goal | Notes |
| 1-5 | Strength | This is for the more experienced lifter once you have got your technique on point. This works the Type 2B muscle fibres. Lift heavy but only do a few. |
| 6-12 | Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth) | This works the Type 2A muscle fibres, and this is where the growth generally happens |
| 15+ | Endurance | Type 1 muscle fibres are worked in this rep range. This is an ideal range to learn the movement and technique. |
Even working in the Hypertrophy range won’t automatically make you big, you would need to train consistently for a number of years, with progressive overload (putting more weight on) and have a balanced, appropriate and focussed diet.
“OK, so I won’t get big, but what are the benefits?”
- Confidence
According to a number of studies, lifting heavy weights has shown to improve your self confidence, reduce anxiety, ease depression, and increase happiness.
- Get Stronger
Heavy weights increase the power and strength of your muscles without significantly adding bulk or size. Suddenly your everyday physical jobs just got easier. You will also get that toned look and look stronger with it.
- Cut the fat
Muscle burns more calories than fat. Just doing your everyday chores will burn more calories meaning it is easier to burn the fat. That alongside the “after burn” effect where you will be burning more calories after the workout.
- Build your Brain
Lifting heavy increases the production of hormones including IGF-1 which helps to stimulate connections in the brain and enhances cognitive function.
- Prevent Injury
Resistance training strengthens the connective tissues and increases bone density, this increased strength and stability will help ward of injuries and promote quicker healing.
- Improve Endurance
As strange as it sounds, lifting weights improves speed, endurance and running economy (the amount of energy required to run).
- Fight Ageing
As we age, we can lose between 3 to 8 percent of our muscle mass. We might mourn the loss of “shoulders like boulders”, but even worse, muscle weakness is linked with an increased likelihood of death in men, and decreased bone density leads to osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
In short, lifting weight doesn’t have to make you big, and has a multitude of positive side effects. Go Lift!